The Shirt

 

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            When Emmaline saw the shirt on the rack, she knew it would be perfect for her pirate costume. The lacy white sleeves would accent it nicely. She quickly grabbed the shirt and held it against her chest. It looked like it would fit, and the tag said it was only three dollars. She put it into her cart with the long black skirt that she had found earlier. After only ten minutes inside the secondhand store, she’d found the base pieces for her Halloween costume. As she walked up to the checkout stand, a silk scarf caught her eye and she put that into her cart as well.

            After paying for her purchases, she walked outside. Her house was only a few blocks away, and she walked home quickly. Hurrying upstairs to her room, she laid out her new costume on top of her bed. To her surprise, the white lacy-sleeved shirt she’d purchased now appeared to be purple. Was the light in her room different from the light at the store? How could she have thought it was white before? Oh well. Purple would still be okay.

            Shaking her head, she pulled on the shirt to see how it fit. As she had suspected, it fit perfectly. Studying herself in her mirror, her eyes widened. The shirt had turned blue! What was going on here? The soft blue shirt continued to transform before her eyes.

            Hardly daring to even blink, she watched the shirt as it continued to change. It was lengthening and nearly reached the floor. The lace became more delicate and lovely and beautifully accented the shirt, which was now a dress. More fabric appeared and grew into more layers for her dress. Small gems and rhinestones bordered the neckline in a star pattern, and a thin, silver necklace appeared with a sapphire pendant. Delicate white gloves grew on her hands, and her hair drew itself into an elegant bun on her head.

            Emmaline gaped at the reflection in the mirror. Was that really her? She was still staring when a deep voice sounded behind her.

            “Greetings, your majesty.”

            Emmaline whirled around to see a smartly dressed man bowing down to her. His tuxedo sparkled with silver cufflinks. His kind face turned to her, as if he were waiting for something. It took her a few minutes to find her voice, and when it did, it came out small and scared. “W-what? Who are you?”

            The man smiled. “My name is Jeffrey, and I am your royal advisor.”

            Emmaline’s eyes felt like they were going to fall out of her head. “What are you talking about?”

            Jeffrey held out his hand, which held a thin, silver tiara with a sapphire that matched the one on her necklace. “You put on the Queen’s dress. It’s been lost for centuries, and only one who is worthy can find it.” His serious eyes looked into her bewildered ones. “By the magic of Telar, you are now its queen.” He gently set the tiara on her head.

            Emmaline gasped. “You mean that shirt that I bought at a secondhand store was a magical queen’s dress?”

            A chuckle sounded from Jeffrey. “Is that where it came from?” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It only appears when it senses a ruler who is up to the task and has the proper qualifications. It seems like you fulfilled those qualifications.”

            Shaking her head furiously, Emmaline sat down on the edge of her bed. “Well, I think you must be mistaken. I’m just a normal girl trying to make it through high school. I don’t have any magic, and I’m pretty sure this must be a dream.” She threw her head onto the pillow and closed her eyes, waiting to wake up.

            A hand gently touched her shoulder, and she opened her eyes. Jeffrey gestured to her window. “Why don’t you look outside and tell me what you see?”

            Slowly, Emmaline pulled herself up and over to the window that looked out into her backyard. After nearly tripping over her new dress, she took a look outside.

            Her backyard was gone. She was looking down from a great height to a castle courtyard. Beautiful gardens dotted the landscape, and she spied a lake a short distance away. There were birds flying over it, and she glimpsed farmlands beyond. But wait—those birds were huge, and they looked… different. She gasped. “Are those dragons?”

            “Yes, your majesty. Telar is a land of magic and a home for all magical creatures.”

            Emmaline didn’t know what to say. As she stared openmouthed out the window, a blue and silver dragon flew low over the lake, creating a spray of water. The resulting rainbow didn’t immediately disappear and it shimmered in the sunlight. The dragon flew up to Emmaline, hovering just outside her window. Instead of feeling afraid, she sensed the dragon’s playfulness as it winked at her. She waved weakly in reply.

            Jeffrey had come up to stand behind her. “It looks like you’ve already made friends with Chester. He’s the leader of the dragons here at the castle.” He smiled proudly at her. “Just one of the many reasons that you are now Queen Emmaline, Ruler of Telar.”

            Emmaline had a hard time swallowing past the lump in her throat as she tried to take everything in. Earlier that day, the worst thing she had to worry about was what she was going to do for her Halloween costume. Now, it appeared she had a whole kingdom to look after. She forced herself to take a deep, calming breath before she turned to look at Jeffrey. “Okay then. Tell me everything.”

The Mango

 

            The sun beat down on the back of Calvin’s neck. Sweat poured off him as he gazed longingly at the fruit stand. A juicy mango would be so refreshing right about now. His stomach grumbled. When had he last eaten? Yesterday morning? He had to get one of those mangoes.

            The market was busy this afternoon. Everyone was preparing for their evening meal. Calvin strolled among the crowd with his hands in his oversized pockets. He tried to appear nonchalant when he glanced at the other stalls. His threadbare shirt stuck to his sweaty back as his heart pounded in his chest. He was nearing the fruit stall, and his mouth started to water.

            The large group that was crowded around the fruit vendor didn’t even notice when Calvin joined them. Everyone was jostling each other, trying to get the owner’s attention. Soon Calvin was standing right next to the tray of mangoes. He leaned over them, pretending to study the apples in the tray beside it. Quick as a flash, he grabbed a mango and stuffed it into his pocket. He stayed a few moments more, then slowly strolled away, his baggy pants hiding the contents of his pocket.

            Trying to keep his breathing even, Calvin waited until he was two streets away before he finally ducked into a darkened alley and took off running to his hiding place. Once there, he took a big juicy bite of the mango and delighted in the explosion of juice and flavor. It took a surprisingly short time before the mango was gone. He gnawed on the giant seed until there was nothing left to get out of it.

            Calvin felt refreshed after the mango, although he was still hungry. Maybe he could go back for a loaf of bread or perhaps even some rice. Determined to find something else to eat, he stepped out from his hiding place and was immediately met by a man holding a wicked-looking knife. Calvin recognized him as a royal guard and turned to flee.

            He didn’t get very far before another royal guard stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “Good evening, young man.” This guard held up a long sword as he towered over Calvin.

            Calvin’s heart raced as he thought of any way to escape. “Uh, good evening.” The other guard came up behind him, closing off any escape route.

            The guard with the sword sheathed his blade and smiled at Calvin. “You’re wanted at the palace, son.”

            Calvin’s mouth went dry. “It was only a mango!” he shouted hurriedly. “I never took anything else! I was starving!”

            “Don’t worry about that. We’ve taken care of it,” the knife man said behind him.

            The two men escorted a terrified Calvin as they walked through the city toward the palace. How was he ever going to get out of this? His eyes darted all around, looking for anything or anyone that might help him. No one paid attention to a poor boy in the company of royal guards. Soon they were standing outside the palace gates.

            The big guard called for the gates to open and the three of them stepped through. Gloom settled over Calvin as the gates closed behind them. He expected to be taken down to the dungeons, but he was surprised when they entered the palace proper. They passed through several hallways and doors until he felt hopelessly lost. The décor became more and more elegant until finally, they stood in front of an ornate door and the knife guard knocked.

            “Come in,” a girl’s voice said from within.

            The door opened and Calvin felt himself thrust inside. His breath caught as he recognized Princess Jade Ali standing before him. He fell into a clumsy bow and said, “Your highness.”

            The princess walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Are you Calvin?” she asked kindly.

            “Y-yes, your highness,” he answered nervously.

            The princess sighed in relief and said, “I’ve been looking for you for months!”

            Calvin raised his head just enough to see the smile covering Jade’s face. She had been looking for him? Why?

            Noticing his confusion, Princess Jade said, “I believe that you are my brother.”

            Dumbfounded, Calvin could only answer, “What?”

            “You’ve been living on the streets your whole life, right? Who were your parents?”

            Seeing only kindness in Jade’s eyes, Calvin answered truthfully. “I never knew my parents, but my Uncle Rafe raised me. We got along okay until Rafe disappeared last year.” He paused. “I don’t know what happened to him, but I’ve been on my own ever since.”

            Jade’s kind face flashed angrily when Calvin mentioned Rafe. “The man you knew as Uncle Rafe was actually Rafael, a healer who used to work here at the palace. You and I are twins. When we were born, Rafael stole you and completely disappeared. Our parents did everything they could to find you, but you were gone. I, myself, never knew of your existence until Rafael unexpectedly showed up here at the palace, trying to get his old job back.” She shook her head slowly. “Father saw through his lies of wanting a fresh start. He threw Rafael into prison. We still might not have known that you were alive if Rafael hadn’t bragged to the other prisoners about how he had stolen you from right under the king’s nose. Well, as soon as we learned that you were still alive, the royal guards began searching everywhere for you.” She smiled, and Calvin noticed a twinkle in her eye. “Your true name is Jasper Calvin Ali. Would you like to meet your parents?”

            Calvin felt as if he had just been run over by a herd of elephants. Was he really a prince? He thought back to how he had lived with Uncle Rafe. The man hadn’t been unkind to him as long as he stayed out of his way. A bubble of happiness started deep inside Calvin. Looking up at Princess Jade, the bubble grew until it burst from him, covering his face in a grin. “Yes, please!”

            Jade grabbed Calvin’s hand, and together they went to meet their parents. Calvin was nervous, but he realized that he would never have to go hungry again. The grin on his face got wider.   

Practice

 

            Clunk! “Ow!” Rowena rubbed her head. She looked around to see what had hit her. A shoe sat next to her on the bench. “What the…?” Was that one of her sister’s shoes? But how did it get here in the library?

            As she sat pondering this question, something else hit her head with a clunk. “Oof!” That one hurt worse than the first one. She glanced at the object and knew immediately what it was.

            Rowena jumped up from her seat and ran to where the object had fallen. Gingerly, she picked it up and inspected it. Yes, this was definitely her sister’s crown. Only Stella could skillfully weave pink ribbons through anything, including her crown. But why was it here? Their father, the king, had said Stella would be living at the magical academy for a few years until she learned how to control her magic. Although Rowena really missed her, she knew it wasn’t time for her to be back yet.

            So, why was her crown here? Another whack sounded as the other of Stella’s shoes fell from the ceiling and landed on the floor. Rowena looked to see where it had come from, but there was nothing. The ceiling was low and smooth.

            A bracelet appeared up near the ceiling and fell with a thud onto a cushion. Rowena’s mouth gaped open in surprise. What was happening? Should she run and tell the staff or maybe even her father?

            Before she could decide, a pair of shoeless feet appeared and slowly descended down to the floor. As they lowered, the rest of the body was revealed and Rowena shouted, “Stella!” Her sister hovered a few inches above the floor and then abruptly fell the rest of the way.

            Quickly regaining her balance, Stella said, “Oh, good, you’re here! I hoped you would be in the library.”

            Rowena’s eyes were wide in shock. “What are you doing here?”

            “Practicing my teleportation magic.” Stella glanced around and saw her shoes on the floor. She ran to get them and put them on. “It took me a few tries to get it right.” She grabbed her crown out of Rowena’s hands. “Apparently, it’s easier to teleport your accessories than it is yourself. You haven’t seen my bracelet, have you?”

            Rowena picked up the bracelet and gave it to Stella, along with a hug. “It’s so good to see you, sis!”

            The warm smile that Rowena knew so well lit up Stella’s face. “It’s good to see you, too. Why do you think I chose our library as a practice teleportation site?” She gave Rowena one more squeeze and stepped back. “Of course, that means that I have to go back now.”

            “Already?”

            “Yes. I’m sure they’ll tell me all the things I did wrong. But it was worth it to see you.”

            Tears filled Rowena’s eyes as she realized that her sister was leaving. “When will you come back?”

            A mischievous smile crossed Stella’s face, and she said, “As often as I practice teleportation, I’ll come see you.”

            Rowena rubbed her head thoughtfully. “Okay, but maybe don’t teleport right above the bench where I’m reading.” She grinned. “I don’t need any more bumps on my head.”